Silk screen stencil apparatus



Sept. 4, 1951 J. A. BLACK ET AL SILK SCREEN STENCIL APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21, 1947 gYwe/wtm Ema; A Black,

fidzzjin A stoulbtl JMfimwc/J p 4, 1951 J. A. BLACK ET AL 2,566,919

SILK SCREEN STENCIL APPARATUS Filed June 21, 1947 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 flares A Black Q)- Edwin A; Jfoufen f fmdm Patented Sept. 4, 1951 SILK SCREEN STENCIL APPARATUS James A. Black and Edwin A. Stouten, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to Continental Decalcomania Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June 21, 1947, Serial No. 756,168

2 Claims. (Cl. 101-4151) The present invention relates to silk screen stencil apparatus, and the primary objects of the invention are to provide a silk screen stencil and a mounting frame therefor of novel construction whereby the stencil may be quickly and easily mounted on or demounted from the frame, and whereby the stencil when mounted on the frame may be adjusted as to tension and may also be adjusted with respect to its relative position in the frame; to provide such a silk screen stencil mounting frame which may either be used in the process of silk screening by hand, or which may beincorporated in an automatic silk screen stencilling machine and when so incorporated in a machine lends itself readily to the interchanging of stencils so that successive stencils used in multicolor printing of a batch of'stock may each be quickly and easily brought into registry with the preceding run or runs of the stock for different colors; to provide such a stencil and stencil mounting frame construction which when the stencil is mounted on the frame forms a seal around the edges of the frame so that coating material cannot escape from between the stencil and the frame; to provide such a stencil and frame therefor which may be used in the printing of posters, decalcomanias, plywood panels or other items which lend themselves to silk screen process coating; and to provide such a stencil frame which is rigid and sturdy in construction, l

efficient in its intended use, and reasonably economical in manufacture.

These and other objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention finds preferable embodiment in, the structure or device particularly described herein and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of the silk screen mounting frame, with a silk screen stencil secured thereto on three sides or edges, the fourth side or edge being shown in a position preparatory to being secured to the fourth side of the frame;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the same shown in section taken on line 2-2 of Figur 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the same shown in section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner of the mounting frame and a corner of the silk screen stencil, showing one edge of the stencil secured to the frame and another edge in the proc ess of being so secured to the frame; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the mounting frame and silk screen applied thereto and showing a card previously printed with one color in position beneath the frame and stencil.

Referring now in detail to these drawings;

wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals in the several views, the silk screen,

stencil mounting frame generally designated I0: comprises an open rectangular framework fabri-- cated from wooden side rails H having a special; cross section best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.. The inner side 12 of each rail is vertical and the top [3 of each rail is horizontal. The outer side 14 of each rail is shaped to form an upper shoulder l5 and a lower shoulder l6, and the bottom ll of each rail slopes downwardly and inwardly as shown.

Swing plates iii are mounted for swinging movement about the outer and upper edge of the sides of the framework by means of hinges l9, the lower or inner leaves of which hinges are secured to the upper shoulders iii of the side rails ll by means of wood screws 20. The swing plates l8 are preferably of metal and are secured as by spot welding to the upper or outer leaves of the hinges IS. The outer or free edges of the swing plates l8 are provided with open-seam metal tubes 2| either welded thereto or formed integrally therewith as shown. Thumbscrews 22 threaded through the swing plates are adapted to abut at their inner ends against the lower shoulders l6 of the frameworks side rails Ii or, and preferably, against metal inserts 23 threaded in the shoulders l6 and provided with sockets 24 in their heads 25 in which sockets the inner ends of the thumbscrews seat. Metal rods 26 having smooth rounded ends are adapted to slide within the open-seam tubes 2| with sufilcient clearance therebetween to accommodate hems 2i sewn in, the marginal edges of a rectangular silk screen stencil 2B. The corners of the stencil are cut. away to provide open ends for the hems 27.

The silk screen stencil 28 is mounted on the mounting frame ID by being stretched across the underside of the wooden framework. The stem-- oil is then secured to the mounting frame by 1ow-- ering each swing plate 18 and inserting thesmooth end of a rod 26 into the open end of a1 hem 21 of the stencil and then into the open end of the adjacent tube 2|, with the end of .the hem surrounding the rod and said hem extending outwardly through the open seam of the tube as illustrated in Figure 4. Because the metal parts; and the silk of the stencil are smooth, insertion of the rod within the tube draws the hem into the tube as the rod progresses, and the complete insertion of the rod within the tube with the hem of the stencil therebetween is quickly, smoothly and easily accomplished.

After the four edges of the stencil 28 have thus been secured to the respective swing plates ill,

the thumbscrews 22 are turned down by hand thus effecting slight swinging movements of the swing plates foradjusting the tension, on the silk screen stencil as required.

The swing plates l8 and thumbscrews 22 may also be employed to shift the silk screen stencils position relative to the mounting frame ID. This is especially important when the frame and stencil are mounted on a machine having stops or other means for positioning sheets ofstock therein in exactly the same position they occupied during a previous run through the machine, because it is important that all runs of different coating ofstock. As illustrated, the screen 28 is not now in the proper position of registry for screening a large blue circlethrough the cutout-32 onto the previously printed yellow circle 30 in order to produce a green circle. It will readily be seen, however, that by slightly loosening the-thumbvscrews 22 along the upper and left hand sides of the mounting frame. as viewed in Figure 5, and by correspondingly: tightening the thumbvscrews 22 along thebottom andrighthand sides of the frame as illustrated; the large circle cutout 32 of the screen 28 may quickly and easily be brought into registry with the printed yellow circle 39 on the sheet of stock so that the desired result will be obtained.

It will thus be seen that a novel and efficient silk screen stencil and stencil mounting frame have been provided by this invention, and while :but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of construction may be altered or omitted without, departing from, the spirit of the invention as the sameis defined'by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A steneiling apparatus of the silk screen type comprising a mounting frame, a flexible fabric stencil screen extensible across the frame at the underside thereof and adapted to contact a sideof the frame; the screen having an edge portion formed with an open-end hemmed margin, an elongated substantially rectangular plate of a length substantially equal to the length of a side of the frame, saidv plate being hinged-along a longitudinal edge portion thereof to said side of the frame at its upper outer edge, on a line re;-

mote from the line of contact between the fabric screen and the adjacent underside of the frame, the hinged plate having at its free edge a longitudinally extending open-end tubular part fixedly secured thereto, said tubular part having a restricted longitudinal opening therein, a rod with a smooth end and a diameter coinformable with the interior of the tubular'part and larger than the restricted longitudinal opening in the tubular part for insertion into the hemmed margin of the fabric screen while within said tubular part for retaining the hemmed margin within the interiorv of the tubular part, and thumb screws threaded through openings formed in plate with the ends of the screws in contact with the outer face of the adjacent side of the frame for causing the plate to swing outwardly from the frame to impose tension on the fabric screen. 7

2. A stenciling apparatus of the silk screen type including a rectangular mounting frame, a rectangular flexible fabric stencil screen adapted to be stretched across the frame at the underside thereof in engagement therewith, said fabric of the hinged plates havingat its free edge a longitudinally extending open end tubular'part fixedly's'ecu'red thereto the tubular part having a restricted longitudinal opening therein, rods each with a smooth end and a diameter conferrm able with the interior of the tubular parts and larger than the restricted longitudinal openings in the tubular parts for insertion into the l i margins ofthc screen while w tubular parts for retaining the hemmed margins within the interior of said tubular parts, and a plurality of thumb screws threaded in said plates with the ends of the screws engaging the outer side faces of the sides of the frame for impart,- ing an arcelike movement to said plates and .im. posing tension upon the fabric screen.

JAMES A- BLA K.- EDWIN A. s'roUr -N.

REFERENGES err-En The-following references are of recQli in the file of this patent;

STATES PATEii'f-S Y McElroy Dec, 27, ,932 

1. A STENCILING APPARATUS OF THE SILK SCREEN TYPE COMPRISING A MOUNTING FRAME, A FLEXIBLE FABRIC STENCIL SCREEN EXTENSIBLE ACROSS THE FRAME AT THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO CONTACT A SIDE OF THE FRAME, THE SCREEN HAVING AN EDGE PORTION FORMED WITH AN OPEN-END HEMMED MARGIN, AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR PLATE OF A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF A SIDE OF THE FRAME, SAID PLATE BEING HINGED ALONG A LONGTUDINAL EDGE PORTION THEREOF TO SAID SIDE OF THE FRAME AT ITS UPPER OUTER EDGE ON A LINE REMOTE FROM THE LINE OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE FABRIC SCREEN AND THE ADJACENT UNDERSIDE OF THE FRAME, THE HINGED PLATE HAVING AT ITS FREE EDGE A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING OPEN-END TUBULAR PART FIXEDLY SECURED THERETO, SAID TUBULAR PART HAVING A 